Painting rooms or walls often requires protecting areas that are not intended to be painted. Traditionally this has been done through slow but precise painting, using tarps to cover areas, and using painter's tape. All of these have problems such as increased time spent on projects, inadequate protection, and damages due to adhesive materials. Some devices utilize a method that creates a gap between the paint area and area that should remain unpainted, but this gap is of a size that either requires extreme care or the need to fill in the gap with a more precise means later. An improved paint applicator is needed that allows a user speed, adequate protection, and precision while painting, for example, walls near the ceiling.